Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puntarenas Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puntarenas

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 45.6% more expensive than Puntarenas without rent, and 2.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 11.6% cheaper than Puntarenas without rent, and 14% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 MX$210

$7.55 ₡3,744

57.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 MX$740

$59.6 ₡29.6K

-29.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

$8.93 ₡4,429

18.14%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$63.5

$3.82 ₡1,892

-5.76%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$26.45

$2.06 ₡1,023

-27.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.09

$1.60 ₡794

-43.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$54.4

$2.94 ₡1,459

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$78.8

$4.60 ₡2,281

-2.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$24.54

$1.99 ₡988

-30.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 MX$33.47

$2.78 ₡1,379

-31.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$28.27

$2.03 ₡1,005

-21.18%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.97

$2.17 ₡1,075

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

$3.44 ₡1,705

143.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 MX$152

$7.78 ₡3,859

11.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 MX$192

$8.72 ₡4,321

25.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

$3.50 ₡1,738

-25.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.46

$1.01 ₡501

42.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

$1.21 ₡599

61.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

$1.33 ₡657

59.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$32.87

$1.55 ₡769

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 MX$39.20

$1.63 ₡807

36.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

$0.78 ₡385

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.36

$1.97 ₡978

-47.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 MX$71.5

$4.60 ₡2,283

-11.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 MX$180

$7.38 ₡3,657

37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MX$29.79

$1.63 ₡807

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$46.25

$2.38 ₡1,182

10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

$1.02 ₡505

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

$1.84 ₡914

71.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

$1.84 ₡912

33.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

$8.09 ₡4,013

-59.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.36

$1.32 ₡657

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.1K MX$531.0K

$38.4K ₡19.0M

-21.70%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.8K MX$419.3K

$17.0K ₡8.4M

40.16%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.5 MX$1,474

$49.12 ₡24.4K

70.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.86 MX$404

$19.54 ₡9,687

16.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

$24.22 ₡12.0K

24.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

$57.8 ₡28.7K

-10.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

$24.11 ₡12.0K

-24.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

$9.90 ₡4,910

-48.28%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$201 MX$3,541

$580 ₡287.4K

-65.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

$12.6K ₡6.2M

-57.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

$24.18 ₡12.0K

47.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

$16.11 ₡7,989

149.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

$126 ₡62.6K

-37.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

$48.63 ₡24.1K

83.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.7K

$768 ₡380.9K

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

$603 ₡298.9K

-19.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

$1,498 ₡742.5K

6.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

$946 ₡469.0K

28.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

$912 ₡451.9K

338.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

$598 ₡296.5K

970.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$730 MX$12.9K

$879 ₡435.6K

-16.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

90.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Puntarenas: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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